]834.] Hoshungabad and Mukrai. 67 



Dooleea is a fine village, considerably larger that Mugnrduh, at the 

 distance of three miles W.by N. from it, and is (I believe) the Company's 

 frontier to the westward. It is built on a rising ground at the distance 

 of a couple of hundred yards from the Machuk nuddee, which is here 

 both deep and wide, resembling a good-sized river rather than a nuddee. 

 On the opposite bank, on the edge of the nuddee, stands the village of 

 Meergaon, (associated in recollection of Shekh Dulla's visit,) in Scindea's 

 district, of which a Gosain is zumeendar, holding it rent-free. 



Beyond Dooleea a good road leads nearly due west to the town 

 of Charuah, belonging to Scindea, where the high-road is gained which 

 leads through Cheinpoor and Ghora-puchar to Aseergurh, Boorhanpoor, 

 and Bombay. 



It is time now to extend my remarks on the country beyond the Com- 

 pany's jurisdiction, and as I believe those parts have seldom been visited 

 by any Europeans, and that little is known thereof, I will in this place 

 state what fell under my limited observation, when traversing that part 

 of India in the early part of November, 1824, when in pursuit of the 

 free-booter Shekh Dulla. 



The ford at the Machuk nuddee is quite dry after the middle of Octo- 

 ber; for its bed, composed of large round sand-stones, is in that spot as 

 elevated as the level of the water on each side of it. This nuddee for 

 the distance of two or three miles on each side of the village, is filled with 

 large pieces of rock and stones. 



The road, over a black soil, to Goomgaon, of which place a Goand 

 was patel, was very bad and extremely confined, and only adapted for a 

 rude and narrow species of carts, called Sagahs. The estimated distance 

 is between four and five miles — low stunted trees, with praus jungle 

 and byr bushes, skirted the road, nearly the whole distance. An occa- 

 sional small patch of cultivation, barely sufficient for the population, 

 near the wretched-looking villages of Kotwar, Zemineea, Parada, 

 Amerkhal, and Moortalai, which were situated at a very short distance 

 from off the road, was seen. The inhabitants were all Goands, black in 

 colour, stunted in stature, squalid in appearance, and all poverty-clad. 

 They all, however, possessed small herds of buffaloes and swine, while 

 fowls were abundant. 



Goomgaon is a good-sized village ; a rivulet runs close to it — to the 

 eastward of the village, and at the distance of about fifty yards, there is- 

 a thick underwood, consisting chiefly of the much-alluded-to praus, 

 (or dock,) and byr bushes, beyond which rise abruptly a low range of 

 (sandstone, I believe,) hills, covered with foliage. To the S. W. an 

 excellent road leads to the small village of Peepuria, distant about three 

 miles, and beautifully situated in a fine open plain, teeming with topes 

 i 2 



